title: The synthesis of acetylcholine by plants.
abstract: Choline acetyltransferase was demonstrated in nettles (Urtica dioica), peas (Pisum sativum), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and blue--green algae by using a Sepharose--CoASH affinity column. The column effected a 1500-fold purification of the enzyme from nettle homogenates and was required for demonstrating activity in the other higher plants. Demonstration of the enzyme in blue-green algae suggests that acetylcholine was a biochemical necessity in the earliest photosynthetic organisms.
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000818:Animals; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000201:enzymology; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000201:enzymology; D006257:Head / Q000201:enzymology; D006368:Helianthus / Q000201:enzymology; D006793:Houseflies / Q000201:enzymology; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine